This is the cardinal rule of great-looking foundation. Before you splurge on foundation, make sure to test it out. Take two or three shades that you think will match your skin and swatch it on your jawline. After about an hour, check and see which one melts into your skin the best—that’s the right shade.

2. Always start with moisturizer.

Skincare always comes first! Apply a lightweight moisturizer on your face and let it sit for at least five minutes before you put on your foundation. Moisturizer will make your foundation go on smoother, because it will take care of the dry patches on your skin. Primers are totally optional—use them if you really need your makeup to stay on for hours.

3. Don’t use full-coverage foundation unless you need to.

Save the thick, full-coverage foundations for special occasions. For everyday, it’s best to stick to bases that offer light to medium coverage. BB or CC creams are also great alternatives for daily bases since they work for almost every skin type.

“The denser the brush, the thicker the application,” explains makeup artist Nicole Ceballos. So for natural-looking foundation, it’s highly recommended to use a loosely packed brush (like a stippling brush) to buff out your foundation. Remember to use a light hand when doing so!

Using a fluffy brush, lightly pat loose powder on the areas that tend to get oily, like your T-zone and under eye area. For the rest of the face, lightly dust on some powder to keep the foundation from caking.

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6. Blend your foundation from your ears and down to your neck.

You don't want to look like a floating head, right?

7. Finish with bronzer and blush.

Apply bronzer to warm up your skin tone and make your foundation look natural. Then, take a peachy pink blush to add a pretty flush to your cheeks.

Main image by Gab Gutierrez.

*This story originally appeared on Cosmo.ph. Minor edits have been made by the Stylebible.ph editors.